Some or any: quantities, offers, questions, and negatives
Use some in positive statements and often in offers or requests. Use any in negative statements and neutral questions. Both can go with plural countable nouns and uncountable nouns.
Everyday small talk
Explore expressions for ordinary conversations. Notice how the example connects the expression to a real situation.
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Spoken English: phrases to use when you get stuck
When you get stuck, use a short, clear phrase. Ask the other person to repeat or explain, then say what you want to say.
Synonyms and antonyms: what is the difference?
Synonyms have the same or a similar meaning, while antonyms have opposite meanings. Choose by reading the whole sentence: happy and glad can often replace each other, but happy and sad create a contrast.
Telling the time in English: hours, minutes, and everyday phrases
Say o'clock for an exact hour. Use past for minutes after the hour and to for minutes before the next hour. You can also read a digital time directly, especially for schedules: ‘The train leaves at seven forty-five.’
Wh-questions: question words and word order
Choose the question word for the answer you need. Then use question word + be + subject, or question word + do, does, or did + subject + base verb.
Abstract nouns: identify ideas, qualities, and states
Use an abstract noun when you need to name an idea, feeling, quality, action, or state. In Her courage impressed the audience, courage names a quality rather than a person or object.
Animal idioms: meaning, register, and examples
Animal idioms usually describe a feeling, action, or situation through an animal image. Read the whole sentence before guessing. In "After moving abroad, I felt like a fish out of water," the new place tells you that the speaker felt uncomfortable and unfamiliar with the situation.
At the office or at office: which is correct?
Say He is at the office. In standard English, office is a singular countable noun here, so it usually needs an article. Use the because the workplace is known in the conversation.
Awesome meaning: everyday praise and formal alternatives
Awesome usually means very good or impressive in informal English. It can also describe something that inspires awe, especially something large, beautiful, or powerful.
Body-part idioms in English: figurative meaning in context
Body-part idioms use a body word to express another idea. Keep an eye on means watch carefully, lend a hand means help, get cold feet means become too nervous to continue, cost an arm and a leg means be very expensive, and have a heart of gold means be very kind.
Body-part idioms in English: meaning, context, and register
Read the whole sentence first. A body-part idiom usually describes an action, feeling, price, agreement, or memory rather than a real body part. Use it when the listener is likely to know the expression and the register fits the situation.
Break a leg: meaning and use in English
Say break a leg to wish a performer success before a performance, audition, or similar event: 'Break a leg in your audition tomorrow!' It is a friendly idiom, not a warning or a wish that someone gets hurt. Use good luck when the person or setting may not understand the idiom.